On Wednesday, the Colorado Rockies achieved something they have not done since late June: Win a series against a winning team.
The Rockies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday 6-4 at Chase Field in Phoenix, which secured their second victory in as many days over the Diamondbacks after enduring an ugly 9-0 loss to start the series.
It also marked the first time this season Colorado has taken a series from a winning ballclub on the road. It has been a difficult campaign for the Rockies, who own the third-worst record in baseball.
However, this win over the Diamondbacks was important.
Why was it important?
The obvious answer here is that a win is a win, and those have been in short supply for this club this season. More importantly, this shows improvement.
Colorado went into Chase Field with nothing to lose, but the Diamondbacks really could have used a sweep to give themselves more breathing room in the win-loss column while simultaneously improving their standing in the National League Wild Card standings.
Instead, the Rockies spoiled it for the Diamondbacks and demonstrated that they can overcome their flaws to beat not only a winning team but a division rival. Nothing about what Colorado did in their wins was excellent, but it was enough.
It was also important because the Rockies showed resilience. The way they started the series was a disaster, and it would have been easy to mentally check out, but perhaps because they are playing with nothing to lose, it worked in their favor.
Speaking of improvement, not long ago, Colorado was the worst team in Major League Baseball from a record standpoint. Now, for the time being, it no longer occupies that position, and that is one of those small victories the organization should be proud of to some degree.
Finally, the Rockies can take this series and use it as momentum to finish this nine-game road trip the right way. Colorado concludes the trip over the weekend when they face the San Francisco Giants, and there is a real possibility this team can take the three-game set.
If the Rockies can defeat the Giants, not only will they have crawled out of last place in the sport, but last place in their division. Right now, only two games separate San Francisco and Colorado from rock bottom in the National League West Division.
Some might view this as grasping at straws, but what is the harm in seeing where the Rockies are at through an optimistic lens? They have already won more games than they did last season, which is a step in the right direction, so why not try to see if they can achieve more?